The present invention relates to a crib blanket holder which locks onto adjacent crib posts and clamps an edge of a crib blanket. Utilizing four such holders proximate the four corners of a crib blanket allows the blanket to be held in a position so that an infant is unable to move the blanket when rolling over.
Early blanket holding devices include U.S. Pat. No. 2,637,047 issued May 5, 1953 to Zurzolo which discloses a padded elongated side boards clamped to the crib posts on either side of the bed. A pair of slide fastener strips stitched onto either side of a blanket are used in combination with a set of fasteners to attach the blanket to the side boards. Clearly special fastener strips for attachment to a blanket as well as special side boards and fasteners interconnecting the fastener strips and side boards presents a complex solution to holding the crib blanket.
A simple bed clothes clamp which attaches to a rail with a slot and clamping screw passing into the slot is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 597,805 issued Jan. 25, 1898 to L. M. Lownes. However, the method of securing the clamp to the bed frame is unreliable as the clamping screw is prone to work loose.
There are a line of patents which disclose rings openable to enclose a crib post and adapted to attach to an edge or corner of a crib post. These include U.S. Pat. No. 2,492,559 issued Dec. 27, 1949 to Dixon which discloses an elongated strip element formed into opposed L-shapes with the top of the L's joined by a U-shaped portion to form a closed structure having a slit where the L's abut. The frame is first installed onto a crib post by bending the L-shaped sections apart at the slit. Next a clamping bar is installed onto the frame and finally a blanket corner is looped under and over the clamping bar and then returned under the frame.
Both Canadian Patent No. 567,536 issued Dec. 16, 1958 to Turner and U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,955 issued June 12, 1973 issued to Hakim disclose a split ring for enclosing a crib post and a safety pin device affixed to the ring and attachable to the blanket.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,129,487 discloses a split ring for engaging a crib post and a fastener attached to the ring and engageable with a fastening strip affixed to either side of the blanket.
A somewhat less complex device than any of the above is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,772,460 issued Dec. 4, 1956 to Berkowicz et al. which consists of a belt and loop which loops around a horizontal rod affixed to either side of the crib and has a clamping buckle on the other end of the strap for attachment to an edge of a blanket. The manner of looping the belt around a crib post does not lend itself to vertical adjustment of the position of the belt on the crib post so as to slightly raise the blanket and allow air circulation under the blanket.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,497 issued to Esposito, Jr. discloses a clamping instrument having a resilient C-grip which snaps onto a guard rail and has separable jaws which receive and retain a bed cover. However, since the clamping jaws and the C-grip are in the same plane a horizontal rod or post is required in order to clamp the bed cover without deforming the latter. Accordingly, there is no way of adjusting the vertical position of the clamping unless regularly spaced horizontal bars were provided on either side of the bed. Another difficulty is that the clamp must be affixed to the rod or post first and then opened to engage the blanket. This means that a user must use one hand to open the jaws of the device and another to bring an edge of the blanket between the jaws.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved crib blanket holder. It is a further object to provide a crib blanket holder that engages the crib posts and is capable of continuous vertical adjustment thereon. It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a crib blanket holder that is easily engageable and disengageable with the crib posts.